Was sent to the ice rink by his mother at age 4 ... Ice rink in Volgograd closed when he was 11, and he moved alone to St. Petersburg to train ... Became the first skater to perform a quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop-triple loop combination in competition (Cup of Russia, 2002) ... Has landed quad Lutzes in practice ... His parents never watch him competing live, even if the competitions are held at home, in St. Petersburg ... Withdrew from the 2005 World Championships after the short program due to a groin injury, for which he underwent surgery in the spring of 2005 ... Married Maria Ermak in June 2005 ... Won the Olympic gold medal in 2006 and retired from competition soon after ... Announced his return to competition in May 2009... Finished second to American Evan Lysacek at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver (earning the silver)... On June 28, 2010, the International Skating Union (ISU) revoked his eligibility due to participation in skating shows without his federation's authorization ... Eligibility was restored by the ISU in June 2011 ... Made a successful comeback in 2011-12, winning the Russian and European championships ... Withdrew from the 2013 European Championships after the short porgram citing injury ... Underwent back surgery in February 2013 to replace a disc ... Helped Russia win the team gold medal at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, and then withdrew from the men's event just prior to the short program, citing a back injury ... Announced his retirement from competition shortly thereafter ... Sat out the 2014-15 season ... Announced in April 2015 that he would return to competition in 2015-16.

Season Notes

2013-14 Season Notes
SP Music: "Taka jak ty" (A Girl Like You) from the My iz budushchego (We Are from the Future) soundtrack by Okean Elzy
FS Music: "The Best of Plushenko"

2012-13 Season Notes
SP Music: "Storm" by Yanni
FS Music: Music from the Romeo and Juliet soundtrack by Nino Rota

2011-12 Season Notes
SP Music: "Storm" by Yanni
FS Music: "El Tango de Roxanne" from the Moulin Rouge! soundtrack by Mariano Mores, performed by Edvin Marton

2005-06 Season Notes
SP Music: Music from Tosca by Giacomo Puccini/Music from the Once Upon a Time in Mexico soundtrack by Robert Rodriguez
FS Music: Music from the soundtrack of The Godfather by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola, performed by Edvin Marton

2004-05 Season Notes
SP Music: "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven
FS Music: Music from the soundtrack of The Godfather by Nino Rota and Carmine Coppola, performed by Edvin Marton

2003-04 Season Notes
SP Music: "Tango Flamenco" by Paco de Lucia and "Nyah" by Hans Zimmer
FS Music: "Tribute to Vaslav Nijinsky" -- "Art on Ice," "Magic Stradivarius" and "King of the Forrest" by Edvin Marton

2000-01 Season Notes
SP Music: "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel
FS Music: "Xotica" by Rene Dupere, "Tango" from Hasta que te Conoci by Raúl di Blasio, music from the Once Upon a Time in America soundtrack by Ennio Morricone, "Cotton Club" by Duke Ellington and music from the Mortal Kombat soundtrack by George S. Clinton